Soul Unbound
by AgentDarkAngel
Summary: When Elsa, the queen of Arendelle, exposed her powers, she was forced to hide. While in hiding, she meets a mysterious boy who takes her in and helps her. Will he be able to melt the ice that shields her heart and open the iron gates to her soul? And will she succeed in keeping her beloved sister, Anna, safe from the dangers of society? (Jelsa)
1. Chapter 1

Hello, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy this! By the way, reviews are much appreciated. I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on this story. And if you review, I promise I'll reply to each and every one of you! :)

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or Frozen**

 **Cover image: Natsumi (Tumblr)**

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I ran. My breath came in short, ragged gasps and my whole body was covered in snow. My warm breath condensed into clouds in front of me, clouding my vision. My legs were numb and sore, but I didn't care. I held my head high and unclasped the fastener the kept my velvet cape together and let the wind take it. It fluttered away into the whiteness like a lost butterfly, and it was gone. I kept going. I _had_ to keep going. I forced my aching legs to keep moving. I kicked off my tight and uncomfortable flats and kept running, running. _The cold never bothered me anyway._ The path up the mountain was getting steeper and steeper, and my previously short steps elongated and I trudged up the snow.

I craned my head to glance at the peak. _You're almost there,_ I told myself.

There was a forest ahead of me, and I ran ahead with full force. I came crashing into the bushes and icicles hanging from the trees. I picked a tree with the most icicles hanging from it and sat down, my back against its firm trunk. I untied my hair and let it into a loose braid, and I took off my tiara and threw it as far as I could into the mass of trees. Then I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Silence. Peace. Freedom. I closed my eyes and rested my head against the tree trunk. It was done. I was free. The people already know about my powers, and there was nothing I could do to reverse that. Something inside me told me that I shouldn't hide here, but what was there to do? The people would kill me and take over my kingdom.

I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. I shouldn't be worrying about that now, my newly gained freedom wouldn't last. I stared up at the night sky, millions of stars sparkled and shined, but what caught my attention was the moon. It was a perfect circle, and it illuminated the night sky. How I wished to be up in the sky, flying next to the moon… My eyelids became heavy and before I knew it, I was asleep.

I woke to the sound of the wind rushing in my ears. It was blowing against my hair and cheeks, and it felt as if I was in the sky. I didn't want to open my eyes so I relished in the pure sensation of freedom that I felt. Was this a dream? It seemed awfully realistic for one, though.

Finally, I decided to open my eyes out of curiosity. I saw a man who appeared to be in his late teens carrying me, his arctic blue eyes staring straight ahead and the wind blowing against his silky white hair. A gust of wind rocked us for a moment, and strong hands gripped me tighter.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed suddenly when he saw me staring at him.

"Where…where am I? And who are _you_? Where are you taking me?" I asked, suddenly panicked. My body tensed.

"Don't worry, I'll explain later. We're almost there," was his reply.

He took a sharp turn and we started to plummet towards the ground. I screamed and hugged his waist. I squeezed my eyes shut, and horrible thoughts of death rushed through my mind. I heard a thud as we landed on the soft snow. I opened my eyes slowly and let go of his waist slowly, then he set me on the ground. I grabbed his hand to steady myself, then I brushed the snow off my dress.

"Are you all right?" he said as he studied me.

"Yeah, I guess so. Now can you please tell me what's happening?"

"Oh, sorry. I haven't introduced myself to you yet. It's just that I don't usually meet people here." He blushed, a pink touch to his pale skin. "My name is Jack Frost, and this is my home."

He gestured to the cozy-looking cottage behind him. It was simple, and a thin wand of smoke wavered from the chimney. Snow piled up on top of the wooden roof.

"Come, you must be very cold." He took off his hoodie and wrapped it around me as he lead me towards his house. The door opened with a creak, and the moment I stepped in, the smell of pine trees and hot chocolate filled my nostrils. I inhaled the scent deeply.

"Mm, it smells nice in here!" I said.

"Thanks, would you like some hot chocolate?" he asked.

"Sure, thank you," I replied, then he disappeared down the hall.

I sat down in one of the two leather couches that flanked a small wooden table in the middle of the room. Paintings and sculptures decorated the walls, and a wooden staff lay on the ground. It was simple yet elegant, and it was curved in a crescent at the end.

He walked into the room with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate on a small tray.

"Here you go, Miss," he said as he handed me a mug.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked as I thanked him for the drink.

"I saw you all alone in the Dark Forest, then decided to bring you here. You must've been freezing in this weather in your dress."

"Yeah, I guess I was."

"Now, who might you be?"

"You don't know who I am?"

"No…I don't really know a lot of people. You see, I've been out of touch with the world for years because I've stayed in the mountains for too long. Why, are you famous?"

"Um, no," I lied. "My name is El-" He didn't recognize my physical appearance, but he might've heard of me. After all, I am the queen, but I don't want him to know that. Here, I no longer had to be the queen who followed every single rule. I no longer had to be the queen who needed to protect the ones she loved from herself. "-Elena." I finished.

"Well, Elena, would you like to stay here for the night? It's already dark outside, and the snow is coming down harder and harder."

"Yes, thank you."

"You must be tired, come," he gestured for me to follow him. We walked down a rather long hallway then we reached our destination. He fished out a key from his pocket and twirled it twice on his index finger before he inserted it into the keyhole. The door creaked as he opened it.

"Sweet dreams," he said as he walked out of them room and closed the door behind him, leaving me in the guest room. I marveled at the wooden walls and tiles, and how simple this place is. I've lived in a grand palace my entire life, and I've never thought of living in a place so…plain and ordinary. Yet it had the beauty I didn't expect it to have. I sat on the edge of the bed and admired the painting hanging on the opposite wall. I lay on the mattress and thought of home. Will I ever get to see it again?


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians or Frozen.**

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I woke up to the sun streaming into my room, and the birds' melodious warble sent a slight smile tugging at the corners of my lips. I opened my eyes and expected to see my bedroom in the Grand Palace that was once my home, but closed them again when I realized that I couldn't go back there anymore, I have to survive in the mountains. The thought made me feel a pang of sadness and my smile turned into a frown. I lifted my head from the pillow with a mental sigh, not wanting to face reality and leave the safety of staying in my bed. I ran a hand through my wavy blond hair, untangling the knots that had formed while I tossed and turned in my bed.

I went out of the room and into the hallway, looking around to find Jack. I walked to the end and found Jack in the kitchen, making pancakes.

"Good morning. I see that you're awake," he said as he turned around to offer me breakfast.

I finished it quickly, feeling slightly strange eating a plain breakfast instead of an expensive one, but it was still pretty good. He tried to talk to me at first, but I wasn't exactly a talkative person so the rest of the meal was spent in an awkward silence.

"Look, there's snow outside," he said when we finished.

"Yeah," I said. The snow reminded me of my curse and brought back unpleasant memories of me hurting the ones I love. I shuddered.

"Are you cold? Do you need me to get you something to wear?"

"No…I'm all right. But thank you, though. I appreciate it."

"C'mon, let's go play in the snow! Everyone loves snow," he said as he started towards the door, motioning for me to follow him.

"Um, I'd rather not."

"You know, for someone that just hiked up the mountain and into the dark forest in a snowstorm, you don't seem to like snow a lot." He smirked. "Well, at least give it a shot. It'll be fun, I promise."

I gulped and nodded my head. I put on the coat he offered me even though I didn't need it, but I wouldn't risk letting him know about my curse. I didn't want to hurt him.

My boots sunk into the soft snow as I stepped out of the doorway. Jack was standing across from me, holding a snowball with a mischievous smile on his face.

"You ready, Elena?" he said.

"Well—" he didn't wait for an answer. He threw the snowball at my shoulder and soft, powdery snow exploded in my face. I bursted into fits of laughter, but before I could say anything, a snowball hit me again, this time in the face.

"Jack, you are so dead!" I said in mock anger while gathering snow in my hand to make a snowball.

"Come and get me!" he called and pranced around like a child, waving his hands in the air.

Just as I was about to throw the snowball at Jack, I saw Anna. I saw Anna dancing around in the snow. Then Anna's body.

Anna's limp body on the cold tiles.

The look Papa gave me when he said, "Elsa, what have you done?"

The fear.

The overwhelming fear that one day I'll hurt Anna and it'll be too late consuming me.

I stood there, unable to move, staring at the whiteness that surrounded me. The whiteness that taken away the normal life I could've had.

"Elena! Are you all right?" Jack's concerned voice was just a distant whisper now. "Elena!"

He touched my forehead, then I came back to my senses.

"Elena, are you okay?" He touched my arm lightly and looked into my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I shrugged off his hand and looked away.

"But, Elena—"

"I said I'm _fine_ , all right?" I said, sharper than I intended to. Then I held up my hand in a defensive gesture and jagged spikes of ice shot up all around me, similar to the ones in the ballroom the night I revealed my powers and ran away from Arendelle.

"I…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…" I stuttered, my voice barely a whisper. Then I took off into the dark forest. I would never forget the look of shock on Jack's face, just like I would never forget how the townsfolk muttered fearfully and stared at me through their terrified eyes.

Tears burned at my eyes and they struggled to fall, but I held them back. I sat under a tree, not bothering to hide. It wasn't like he was going to come after me anyway.

"Elena! Elena!" a distant call echoed through the forest. Guess I was wrong. The voice became louder as he came closer, and I stared at the ground when he sat down next to me, pretending not to notice him.

"Elena, listen, it's okay," he said softly.

"How can you say that? How can you say that after what I've done?" I choked, a tear already running down my cheek.

"Hey, it's all right, I'm perfectly fine. And I think your powers are magnificent."

"Huh. Powers. I'd say they're more of a curse."

"And why would you think that? Look at what you can do!"

"Yeah, and the only thing they can do is hurt people. Innocent people are hurt, and there's nothing I can do about it!"

"Elena, how about I show you something? Watch."

He took out his staff, and tapped it to the tree trunk behind us. It was small at first, almost undistinguishable. Then it started to grow. Frost spread out from the center and formed small, delicate snowflake.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" I stared at him incredulously.

"I guess you're just like me, and we're both here to make the world a happier place with our powers." He sighed contentedly.

"Well, you're lucky you get to control yours. All mine does is cause trouble. At least since…" My voice drifted off.

"Since what?" he asked curiously

"Nothing," I said, instantly regretting saying what I did.

"Want to head back? It's been quite a day." He stood up, and held out a hand to help me up.

We walked back together, and I wondered what it was like to be able to control my powers like Jack. Was it really able to do that? I took off my coat when we reached the house and hung it on the coatrack. I went to my room, looking for some alone time to think. Maybe Jack could understand what it was like to have ice powers, then I wouldn't have to deal with all my problems alone. Maybe having someone to talk about wouldn't make this as painful.


	3. Chapter 3

First, I'd like to thank all the wonderful people who favorited, followed, and reviewed my story. Keep the reviews comin'! :) Also, special thanks to my awesome betas, QueenMaylina8Candy and Faithful Warrior. You guys were a wonderful help.

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Three slow knocks on my door snapped me out of my trance.

"Who is it?" I called, then immediately regretted it after I done so. Who else could it be? _What is up with you these days?_ I scolded myself.

"Um, it's me, Jack?" he said, then it was followed by a chuckle. I could almost _see_ the sly smile that is certainly plastered on his face right now.

"Yeah, what do you want?" I said as nearly I stomped over to the door and almost yanked it right off its hinges as I opened it, a scowl on my face.

"Whoa, I just thought I'd check on you since you've been in there for almost four and a half hours. Jeez." He held up his hands, apparently hurt, and turned to walk away.

"No, wait!" I grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving, then dropped it when he stopped and turned around. "I'm sorry. Please stay."

His expression softened. "Of course."

I walked to the edge of the bed and motioned for him to sit, and he did, a respectful distance from me.

"So tell me about yourself. I still don't know much about you asides from the fact that we both have the same powers," I said, genuinely curious about who this man was how did we end up having the same powers.

"Well, it was a long time ago. I had parents and a sister, I belonged in a happy family. Then one day, everything changed."

His expression darkened and he seemed reluctant to go on, so I gave him an encouraging smile. He smiled back, but it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"Her name was Jenny," he continued. "She was the cutest, most innocent girl I know. I loved her.

Then one day, when we were ice skating on a frozen lake, she almost fell in, but I saved her. I woke up years later, having no memory of who I was or how I ended up like that, only that my name was Jack Frost and that somehow, I can control ice." He finished off his story with a sigh.

"But you saved her. You managed to save your little sister," I said, feeling a pang of sadness as I thought of Anna.

"You don't understand. It's not about my family anymore." He huffed in frustration.

"Then what is it about?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It's just that…I tried to bring joy to the people around me with my powers. I tried to give them happiness, but they never appreciated it. They even accused me of sorcery!" he fumed.

"Funny how the same thing happened to me, huh?" I let out a mirthless laugh.

"What do you mean?" his expression changed from anger and frustration to curiosity as he studied me.

"Can you keep a secret?" I turned to meet his gaze.

"Sure. I just spilled my whole life story to you didn't I?" he said, his familiar smirk returning. "At least, most of my life story." He grinned mysteriously.

"I'm the queen of Arendelle."

"Wait, I thought the queen already passed away," he said, confused.

"Today was my coronation."

"But I don't remember a princess who's name was —"

"Yeah, I lied, okay? My real name's Elsa." I admitted, turning away again, unable to meet his gaze.

"Why would you lie to me?" I thought he would be hurt, but he seemed amused.

"Well, I just met you and I _was_ running away so since you didn't recognize me by my physical appearance, I thought I'd change my name, just to be safe."

"Were you running from these people because of your…powers?" he asked carefully.

"I…uh…I don't feel comfortable talking about this right now. I'm sorry." I muttered, heat rising to my cheeks.

"It's okay. I'm sorry I asked. How about we do something different? Here." He grabbed the staff that he seemed to carry with him everywhere and pointed it at the top of my head. I felt a cool breeze at first, then I felt as if my blood had been replaced by electricity that pulsated through my body.

"Look." He pointed to a mirror on one of the walls.

"It's…a tiara." I gasped, amazed. "It's beautiful." I traced my fingers over the delicate curls and curves and rubbed them on the smooth surfaces of the parts that sparkled like diamonds.

"All hail Queen Elsa of the North Mountains." He smiled playfully.

I laughed lightheartedly and stared out the window at the moonlit field outside of the cottage. Jack and I didn't say a word after that, instead we just both stare at the beautiful scene. It was a comfortable silence, a _good_ silence.

I've never felt so good, so _free_ in such a long time. Now that I've escaped into the mountains, I have no more duties. Even though I'm still technically the queen of Arendelle, I'm sure if I go missing long enough then they'll eventually give the throne to Anna. She was always the rightful queen. Even though she might be a little childish, she was always the kind, benevolent leader that everyone needed, not some cold-hearted jerk like me. I sigh at the thought of Anna. Her giddy smile, her ability to stay cheerful no matter what she faces, and her courage of never giving up. She was just trying to be a good sister, and what have I done? All I ever did was ignore her for the past ten years. If only she knew that all I've ever done, I did for her.

Jack noticed the pained expression on my face and asked, "Hey, are you all right?"

I shook my head, unable to meet his gaze.

"I know what will make you feel better," he said with the mischievous smile that reminded me so much of Anna. "C'mon, dance with me!"

Before I could reply, he pulled me up to my feet and started humming a song. Still grabbing my hands, he started spinning us. Then we both burst into laughter.

"That's not how you dance," I said between fits of laughter.

"Who cares? It's the _fun_ way to dance."

Suddenly, I felt a cool breeze on my legs. Then it slowly crept up to my thighs, my waist, and my chest. I looked down at the dress I was previously wearing, only to find that it had been replaced with a new light blue one.

Jack let go of my hands to stare at it, and I touched slowly and felt the material to find it surprisingly soft.

"Wow, did you make this?" he said incredulously as he also touched the cool, silky fabric.

"Well, I guess I did."

"It's not complete without a cape, though."

"Haha, alright, I'll make you a cape."

I pictured a long, flowing white cape that draped over my shoulders and onto the floor. Out of thin air, the cape materialized exactly how I pictured it to.

"There you go," I said with a smile.

"Wow," he gasped. He stared at my brand new outfit, eyes wide, jaw hanging open, and arms slack at his sides.

"Eventually I had to impress you, right? I mean, I just couldn't let you do all the cool stuff." I winked.

Later, he told me about his childhood and all the fun things he used to do with his sister. He knew I didn't want to talk about myself, and he respected that so he didn't ask again. Today, I made a new friend, and I'm not sure how he'll feel about me if I told him who I actually was. The cold, uncaring person who left her sister and her kingdom behind.


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